From its earliest days, heavy metal has been defined by its screamingly loud, distorted guitars, so it''s no wonder that the genre is rife with fabulous players. This large format, well-illustrated book showcases metal''s 100 greatest axe men, from early heroes like the legendary Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck to stars from the 1970s and 1980s such as Motorhead''s Fast Eddie Clarke and Pantera''s "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott to hot new talents like Mick Thompson of the nu-metal band Slipknot. Each entry includes a career biography, with makes and models of guitars played, and explains in technical but informal terms why the player deserves a spot on the coveted list. Sidebars and boxes detail each guitarist''s trademark playing style and top riff. Throughout, the book celebrates guitarists like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, who don''t play metal but do merit honorable mention for their contributions to rock.

From the Publisher:This controversial guide to guitarists features the most accomplished performers from the vast legions of metal. As well as celebrating the classic metal musicians who've defined the scene since the '70s, it delves deep into thrash metal, death metal, black metal, doom metal, power metal, and battle metal to unearth those players for whom no tremolo divebomb is too high, and no tuning is too low.